I think this was when I was in some doubt about the right size pattern for me, bodice-wise, and kept buying 36s and 38s and wondering why they didn’t fit well in the shoulders. (I re-bought this pattern in a 34 and have been happy with it ever since, although now I have to adjust the waist on everything.) So I don’t wear this one very often, in part because of the fit issue (I altered the shoulders to fit, but it’s not perfect) and in part because I feel like I’ve worn this a couple times to events I was greatly anticipating only to have them fall sadly flat — far short of my (probably unrealistic) expectations. There’s nothing worse than getting dressed up for something and having it fizzle out … I probably should put this in the Goodwill pile and let it be luckier for someone else!

Oh, and in , I’ve now seen the first photo of the book on shelves in the wild, thanks to my sister, who saw it in ! Doesn’t it look fab, if I say so myself?

This is , which, for quite some time, was my favorite pattern. I think this is one of the nicest dresses I made with it:

It’s Liberty twill, a pattern called “Enchanted Garden”. I wish I had about eighty more yards of this. (I did have enough left over after making this dress to make a , though.)

Another thing I love about this dress is that a few years back J. Crew made flats in this same fabric (I should have remembered to take a picture of them as well). So occasionally I wear them together. Here’s a close-up of the fabric, isn’t it fun?

As I go through and take pictures of older dresses, I’m realizing how much my sewing has improved even in a few short years — I think I should credit all y’all, as sewing for “publication” has made me a bit more fastidious. I think I would have clipped this seam better, now, although I like to think of that visible blue facing as a design detail:

The zipper’s pretty good:

And the back:

Looking at this pattern again, it’s starting to give me ideas. I do love that bodice …